Realizations
by pearlcaddy
Summary: Booth's thoughts during "The Man in the Bear"


Disclaimer: I own nothing except the part of my brain that knows how to type.

* * *

**Realizations **

"Hey Booth."

Shaking hands with the sheriff, Booth sat himself down at the bar.

"Want a beer?"

Nodding his assent, he scanned the bar, looking for Bones who he hadn't seen in awhile. And then he saw her. Dancing. With Charlie. And looking happier than he had ever seen her. For some reason, he found that irksome. Wait a minute– irksome? _Whoa– I've been spending too much time with Bones._

He could hear the bar tender and the sheriff exchange a few words, but he couldn't seem to concentrate on what they were saying as he stared at Bones and Charlie. A need to vomit was quickly filling his body, but he was unable to look away. _What kind of name is Charlie anyways? It sounds like a nerd or a girl... or both. And he isn't _that_ good looking..._

"Booth, you still with us?"

He glanced quickly over at the sheriff who was watching him with an amused expression. He froze for a second. How long he had been staring at Bones and Charlie?

"I-uh, yeah."

The sheriff twirled his empty beer mug, nodding at Booth's full one. "That would explain why you were about to ruin a perfectly good beer by drooling in it."

Booth sent the sheriff his best death glare as he took a sip. Then he looked back at Bones. _Whoa, whoa, why is she feeling his arm? That is unacceptable–_ but why? Why would it be unacceptable? She was single, and Charlie was a decent enough guy. So why was it bugging him so much? Searching his mind, he finally came up with something. _He could be the cannibal. And the last thing I want is for Bones to become attached to a guy only to have him arrested... by me._

And then he saw Dr. Rigby come up, grabbing her wrist and spinning her around, both of his arms around her waist. Booth grinned to himself as Charlie sat down with a dejected look. _That's what you get for potentially eating someone! And now Bones is... dancing with another potential cannibal. Why is it that all the guys who want to dance with her have possibly eaten a human being? Oh, right, because everyone here is a suspect._

Forcing his eyes off of the sight of Rigby pawing at Bones, he saw the Sheriff watching them eagerly. _No, not him too. Not another man wrapping his arms around her (what did she call them) transverse abdominals. _But what could be wrong with her dancing with the Sheriff? He couldn't possibly be the cannibal, so why did the sight still make him nauseous? And then it hit him, in a voice sounding strangely like Angela's.

_You're jealous because you're attracted to Bones._ What? _No, that's not it. We're partners... in the completely non-dating sense of the word._ And yet his pathetically weak defense crumbled as his body (by no command of his own) walked over to her and possessively caught her mid-twirl.

"Mind if I cut in? I thought you might need a break." He glared pointedly at the Sheriff, who quickly seemed to understand what was going on. Booth looked back at Bones. For a second, he was worried that she would say something about his alpha male tendencies and refuse to dance with him, but for some reason she allowed him to maneuver her around the dance floor.

"What happened to your shirt?" _Damn, I was hoping she wouldn't notice that._

"Well, we're in a bar. It's a look."

"Everybody is pumping me."

Even though he's been watching her the whole time and had seen nothing of the kind, his mind instantly jumped to the worst conclusions, immediately giving him the strong urge to march over to the three who had been "pumping" her and punch them each in the nose. Which he was recognized was further proof of what he had just realized.

"I'm sorry?" _Please tell me I misunderstood._

"For information on the case."

Never before had a single fragmented sentence relieved him more. But it did leave him needing to explain men to her.

"Bones, they are only pretending to be interested in the case."

"Why?"

_How can she be so naive about the effect she has on men? And... me. _"They're hitting on you."

Her laughter near his ear made his whole body tingle. No, he was pretty sure that dancing with his partner wasn't suppose to make him suddenly feel like he'd been shocked several times with 10,000 watts of electrical current.

"Are you sure?"

He forced himself to focus on the conversation.

"Yes, I'm sure. You're the hottest thing this town has seen in a long time." _Not just the town_.

"Check out the competition." He dipped her down so she could see the only other good-looking woman in town. He pulled her back up towards him. "Now that is someone who wants to eat your heart."

And he suddenly found himself forgetting how to think as her face turned towards his, with almost no space in between. He smiled and looked away, searching for something that would take his mind off of her. And he found it. _Oh, what an interesting beer mug..._

_

* * *

_

Making his way along the bank, Booth, finding the silence in the group rather annoying, said the first thing that came to mind.

"You didn't come down for breakfast. Bones." _Okay, why did I say that?_ He'd decided during the night that his more-than-partnerly feelings for Bones would be kept secret until he died. Preferably even longer than that.

"I wasn't hungry. Sorry you had to pay for your own meal."

Her sarcasm annoyed him more. _Now she thinks I'm cheap._

"I called your room; there was no answer." He knew as soon as he said it how desperate he sounded.

"Why the sudden interest in my morning habits, Booth?"

_Not so much interest in the morning habits as to the nightly activities with other men that could have caused the morning habits to start so late._

"Look, I just thought we were going to get something to eat. You know, and so I waited. My eggs got cold; that's all. Cold eggs." _Okay, anyone could tell that that was denial._ He hopped over the stream and glanced back at both her and the sheriff, but saw no sign that either of them had thought anything of his reply. Thankfully, the sheriff and Bones didn't seem to be 'anyone'. Yet he still groaned internally. _Today is going to be a very long day._


End file.
